In a continuing effort to improve the quality of fresh market and shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine and peach seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree (Prunus persica), which has been denominated varietally as `Grand Sweet`. The present variety was hybridized in 1992, grown as a seedling on its own root in the greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was developed as a first generation cross using Red Glen (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,193) yellow flesh nectarine as the seed parent and June Pearl (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360) white flesh nectarine as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock (unpatented), the standard of the stone fruit industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is most similar to its sister cross, Grand Pearl (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,960) white flesh nectarine, by producing fruit that is dark red in skin color, very firm in texture, sweet and subacidic in flavor, medium in size, clingstone in type and that ripens in mid July during normal years, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is yellow instead of white in flesh color and that has less skin freckling.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, Red Glen (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,193) nectarine, by producing very firm, full red, yellow flesh, clingstone nectarines, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is subacidic instead of acidic in flavor and that ripens about about 10 days earlier.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, the June Pearl (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360), by producing clingstone nectarines that are subacidic in flavor, medium in size, full red in skin color and almost free of red texture bleeding, but is very distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that ripens about four weeks later, that is firmer in texture, that is sweeter in flavor, and that is yellow instead of white in flesh color.